When SITE (the Society for Incentive Travel Excellence) wrapped up its 2020 Global Conference in Vancouver in late January, there was not even a hint of the crisis that was about to occur. It had been the biggest conference the association had held to date with 650 people attending from all over the world. 2020 was shaping up to be a record-breaking year for SITE members.
During a Tuesday press conference, Didier Scaillet, CIS, CITP, SITE’s CEO, shared an analogy of that feeling of smooth sailing ahead: “We sailed away from Vancouver into calm waters that soon grew treacherous. Who could have ever imagined the sheer speed and the global nature of this pandemic?” he said. The organization’s mission immediately turned to offering support and solidarity, as well as the resources members—with DMCs and incentive suppliers among the hardest hit—would need to get through.
This week’s SITE Week is one such example, and it’s open to non-SITE members as well. Wednesday and Thursday (July 22 and 23) “Ideation Sessions” will focus on such topics as Experience Design; The Corporate Perspective & Supporting your Corporate Clients; Sales and Marketing in a Reopening Environment; Sustainability; Employee Wellness in Remote Work; Building New Revenue Streams; and more. Register here.
Help and Jobs
The SITE Foundation has a number of ways is is helping its members through this time.
The Moira Hearn Memorial Fund provides financial assistance to SITE members who have lost their jobs, or whose businesses are experiencing extreme financial difficulties. The fund aims to provide continuity of membership at a time when circumstances might preclude it. SITE also has a robust jobs portal on its web site, as well as a Resume Review, open to all.
In other SITE news, download a copy of the Vancouver Manifesto here. The project—SITE’s evolving Manifesto on the nature, purpose and direction of incentive travel—began at the 2019 Global Conference in Bangkok, and with feedback from members, SITE decided upon this action plan for 2020.
The Crystal Awards have added a new award for 2020: Most Creative Solution Deployed at a Time of Crisis. This new category seeks to award incentive travel professionals and their organizations who display uncommon levels of innovation, creativity and ingenuity in identifying solutions for the continuation, deployment and implementation of incentive travel awards at a time of crisis. Applications are open now.
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